Learn Lily's secrets to make your knitting life easier: join a cast-on for circular knitting without adding twist, start a new skein of yarn or a new color without losing the first stitch, attach knit pieces as you work, work a circular bind-off on the neck where the beginning and end are imperceptible, and weave in ends that are too short for a darning needle. Leave class with lots of small 'fix-its' and a new eye for knitting details.

Swatch 1: With #4 (worsted/aran-weight) yarn and appropriate sized double-pointed or short (12 or 16") circular needles, cast on enough stitches to go around circulars or minimal amount of stitches on dpn's (maybe 12). Join, being careful not to twist. Work in 1 x 1 rib circularly for about 1", begin to bind off leaving last 2 or 3 stitches unbound, leave on needles to be completed in class.Swatch 2: With #4 (worsted/aran-weight) yarn and appropriate sized needles, cast on 8 stitches, work for 1" in any stitch, leave on needles to be completed in class.Swatch 3: With #4 (worsted-weight) yarn and appropriate sized needles, make a swatch of about 3" x 3" in stockinette, end ready to work a knit row, do not bind off, leave stitches on stitch holder.
Familiarize yourself with what is called the "long tail" cast-on (there are two ends of yarns utilized).Finally, familiar yourself with the left-slanting decrease like ssk and with the crocheted chain.